Robin Hood 2009
a legend never dies.
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Saturday, 2 May 2009

Robin Hood. Series 3, Episode 6: “Do You Love Me?”.

Above: Prince John sets the Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisborne against each other. Below: Isabella looks on disturbed as Prince John puts a torch to Loxley Village.Above: Kate takes one for England. Below: Robin Hood shows scant regard for the regards and concerns of his outlaws, over riding their protests and leading a Gisborne into their camp.Above: Grizzly Gisborne delivers the Sheriff of Nottingham's tooth to Prince John as proof of his death.Above: Robin Hood and Isabella Gisborne kiss. Did he ever kiss Marian like this?

The Story: Night time in Loxley Manor, and Gisborne’s nightmares are interrupted by Prince John’s soldiers, dragging him from his bed. He soon finds himself brought before the Prince himself, who is obsessed with only one question: “Do you love me?” The Prince goes on to say he thinks Guy would make an ideal Sheriff for Nottingham, and encourages him to kill the Sheriff as proof that he loves his future King.

The next day, the Sheriff is restlessly pacing the corridors of Nottingham Castle, not sure these days as to where he stands with Prince John, and growing increasingly suspicious of Guy’s loyalties. When Guy enters he does indeed attempt to draw a dagger on the Sheriff, but Isabella interrupts them. The Sheriff then announces there will be a banquet that night in honour of the Prince, and that they are both invited.

In Sherwood Forest the Outlaws discover an increasing number of Prince John’s troops making camp. They deduce that the Prince must be on his way to Nottingham in order to buy the favour of various noblemen, thereby securing his path to the throne. And that can only mean one thing: Gold. However, when they launch an attack on the carriage they assume to be carrying the Prince, they find only a decoy in the form of the Prince’s physician, Benjamin Palmer, and no gold. Not only that, but in the fight to overpower the guards, Kate has taken a serious knife wound near to her heart. Tuck is reluctant to remove the blade for fear of causing further injury. (Where’s Djaq when you need her?) But Benjamin turns out to be quite a good guy after all, and assists Kate, by tending to her wounds.

In recounting his own personal story, Benjamin mentions a rare disease called “Scrofula”. (I’ve never heard of this, and neither has my pc’s spellchecker. But expect a Government pamphlet through your letterbox any day now!) Apparently Prince John is obsessed with Scrofula, on account of the fact that people who have the divine right to rule, can simply cure it by a laying on of hands. Anyway, after establishing this important little fact, (I’ll be asking questions later!), Benjamin is allowed to go free, blindfolded.

Benjamin arrives back at Nottingham just after Prince John, who is openly disappointed to find the Sheriff still alive, and more or less tells him so. However, it isn’t long before the Prince is taking the Sheriff himself to one side with his usual question: “Do you love me?” and persuading him to kill Gisborne! Obviously then, the Prince is setting one man against the other in a test of loyalties. When they leave the room, Guy is standing outside, and both men surely draw the same conclusion. As for the physician, Benjamin is soon imprisoned for simply passing on the insults Robin Hood made about the Prince.

The next day, Prince John visits Loxley with Isabella at his side. He happily blesses a couple waiting outside the church to be married, but then even more happily sets fire to the church once all the villagers are inside. As the villagers break free from the raging flames he tells them it is their punishment for helping shelter Robin Hood. The Prince departs, although Isabella remains behind to assist all she can with putting out the flames. Word of the fire soon reaches the outlaws, who rush to the village. But it is too late to save many of the buildings, and certainly not the church.

Robin Hood is impressed by the way Isabella has stayed to help, and he is even more impressed by the purse she extracts from beneath her dress, and donates to the village. She teasingly asks if there is anything else he’d like, and what follows is probably the “hottest” kiss of all three series so far. (He never kissed Marian like this).

Isabella is now allowed (albeit blindfolded), into the Outlaws camp. They all hatch a plan to embarrass the Prince by offering a voluntary Kate as a supposed Scrofula victim. He of course will try to heal her in order to prove his “divine rights”. To carry out this plan they will of course need the help of Benjamin and Isabella, who now returns to Nottingham, pretending to have been somewhat ravaged by Robin Hood (which may or may not be true!)

That night at the banquet, the Outlaws carry out their plan, and of course Prince John is made to look foolish when Kate, faking disease, is not miraculously healed by his touch, However, the real action here is going on behind the scenes.

As the banquet progresses, Guy and the Sheriff have finally locked swords in earnest. (And I do mean earnest!) Their dual to the death takes them gasping from the interior of the Castle, up the staircases, and onto the battlements. The fight could go either way, as Guy staggers around with the Sheriff’s dagger protruding painfully from his leg. Indeed, it seems like it’s all over for Guy when the Sheriff pushes him up against the precipice. “There was a time I loved you like a son”, he says. “And you loved me like a father”.

The Sheriff then actually pushes Gisborne over the side, but Gisborne manages to catch hold of the ledge, and lunge his own blade deep into the Sheriff’s gut! With his dying breath, the Sheriff looks up at Guy and says “Don’t trust him. Nothing is what it seems”.

(Whew!!!)

Upon returning to the banquet, Guy places the Sheriff’s false tooth before Prince John as proof of his success in carrying out his wishes. The following morning, in the courtyard below, the Sheriff’s body is loaded unceremoniously onto a cart and covered with an old sheet. But as the body leaves, was that a twitching of the fingers we saw?

Comment: No doubt about it, this show comes to life most when Richard Armitage is on the screen. I’ve been critical of the writing of his character in the past, but never his ability, nor his obvious charisma. I think Guy is written much better now, and I’m loving it. (Although I would agree it would be nice to see more of Joe armstrong agin in particular).

Also, Isabella certainly turned up the temperature there with Robin. I often think Jonas functions best when opposite someone who brings him “out” a little. As an actor, he reacts superbly, rather than be himself the instigator. His scenes opposite Joe Armstrong (when Allan was a traitor), and Keith Allen (especially at the start of series 1), and Lucy Griffiths‘s “almost” death scene at the end of series 1, are all examples of this. I think Lara Pulver will prove a most effective foil for our Jonas.

Good episode. Lots of new avenues to explore in the week’s ahead. Not the least of which is the "Romeo and Juliet" angle that Robin and Isabella come form two feuding familes...

Heya! Stumbled upon your blog. To me, this episode finally got the plot moving again and sets up interesting possibilities for the finale. While it was odd that Robin is falling for Isabella so soon after Marian's death, their relationship has loads of story potential as well as chemistry.... Less sure about Kate though - still find her out of place, taking up the other lads' roles, and would rather see more of the Much/Kate/Allan triangle vs another Robin crush. -lis

At lasta bit of grown up passion albeit between the wrong people . On reflection Marian and Robin were portrayed as more close friends than lovers which is unlike the Gisbourne sister and Robin .I take it is Gisbourne`s turn to die next week

I have just read what Kitty has said and she has put her finger right on the nail, CHEMISTRY between Robin and Isabella they simply ooze it! Robin and Marian seemed very tame beside them, and that was what was worrying me about Him and Kate, there was/is nothing there only friendship and it will be wrong if it is ever exploited in future episodes. Lets give Much/ Allen and Kate a real triangle

I really enjoyed last nights episode, especially the Sherriff / Guy fight. Its taken a while but Guy has finally moved on from needing to seek the Sheriff's approval. However, when the Sherriff said “There was a time I loved you like a son. And you loved me like a father." i felt sorry for him, which is something i never expected to feel. I could believe that Guy would look up to the Sherriff as a father figure but hearing that the Sherriff loved him back was actually heartbreaking as he lay dying from Gisbourne's sword.But from the finger twitching, it looks like there will be another miraculas e3xample of dying and coming back to life. In a time with no NHS or proper medical skills or equipment this seems to happen a lot.I also loved Prince John, his desperate need for love and constant approval was not what I was expecting from him as a character, as he almost seemed like a needy child.But, the thing is that what I enjoy most in Robin Hood are not actually Robin Hood. Being that the show is about him you would think he would have a bigger role, but apart from attacking the physician, getting Kate into the castle and kissing Isabella, I'm struggling to think of what else he contributed to this episode.Unless the fact that he completely forgot about his dead wife's existance counts. Even Guy, who wasnt even married to Marian and was betrayed by her, still thinks about her. He is obviously still in love with her when he cries at in pain and anger at the Sheriff, "You killed her."I was never a fan of the Guy / Marian mini romance, but if she was still alive I think she should dump Robin straight away.Espicially as Robin didnt even look guilty. I might accept this plot line if they made it believable and showing Robin having a tough internal debate about if he should do this. Well if he did, it lasted all of 2 seconds before he launched himself at Isabella.

I have a lot of thoughts about this episode so I will be concise and try not to wander all over the place.1. Prince John, creepy and wonderful2. Kiss b/w Robin & Isabella, premature in the least. Lust not love people!3. Fight b/w Gizzy & Sheriff, really amazing. Awesome foreshadowing when the Sheriff said, "Be careful. Nothing is as it seems." 4. Kate will obviously fall for Robin, not sure how he will feel about her. Loved how Much was doing all the work when she was injured but Robin happened to pop in when Kate was taking notice. This happened several times.

As a final thought I, as I have said in the past, am not a fan of Robin being involved with anyone new since he's leaving at the end of the season. Robin & Isabella yes have a connection/chemistry (although it feels the writers are pushing them on the viewers!) however, I'm not completely convinced she is who she says she is. I don't doubt that she's drawn to Robin I doubt her heart and motivations. Something's a miss.

Hi sjl,"wandering all over the place" to have your "two cents" is ALL GOOD.Thought: When the Sheriff said "Be careful. Nothing is as it seems", was he in fact warning Guy that he'll be back to seek revenge???

I have been waiting to see how the new series panned out before I made any observations. I'll try to keep it short otherwise I'll clog up this site!

Firstly, I have to echo the feelings of everyone who said that they really miss the character of Marian (so wonderfully portrayed by Lucy Griffiths). Not to include her in this version was a mistake and takes something away from this series. Guy seems to be the only one who has even mentioned her so far. And, echoing another contributor's comments, the writers are premature in bringing in a new romance for Robin. He's returned to his cheeky persona very quickly and they've made him appear rather shallow. (I hope my husband mourns me a little longer if I go before him - if he doesn't he'll soon know about it)!!

The Isabella character just seems to have replaced Marian in that she is staying in the castle and paying lip service to Guy whilst actually helping the outlaws.She's also quite a feisty female (and a fighter too). This appears to be no different from when Marian was around. Have the writers and producers adopted a policy of change for the sake of change perhaps?

The episodes are enjoyable(although sometimes far fetched, especially the lion. But maybe this adds to the lighter side of the show). The stunts are well staged and bring on the cheers and applause in our house! I'm glad that the storylines have gone back to the original legend of robbing the rich and helping the poor and that the war in the Holy Land seems to have faded into the background somewhat.

The cast, as usual, are all excellent and one has to single out Richard Armitage for his portrayal of Guy of Gisborne. He, along with Lucy Griffiths, are/were among the show's greatest assets. This is not to detract from any other members of the cast and I agree we should see more of Joe Armstrong's character - hopefully in a future episode. The person who has come on in leaps and bounds (pardon the pun) is Jonas Armstrong. He's matured beautifully since those first unsteady episodes and has settled into the role very well (maybe because he's a couple of years older. Not bad in the looks department either)! It's a pity he's leaving (but quite understandable). When he goes at the end of this series I hope the decision will be taken not to make another. There have been too many losses in the cast (such a high body count)!

I had my reservations about introducing Tuck but isn't David Harewood good? The character is so different from the usual ale drinking, chicken munching monk in previous versions and inspired casting. Prince John is great and so well played by Toby Stevens. Hope we see a bit more of him. There have been other good characters - the Cardinal for one and the comical treasurer who came to an unfortunate end. Nice to see Denise Black in the 'Let the Games Begin' episode. How do these actors manage to keep going in such appalling weather conditions?!

I'm glad that Kate seems to have learned to keep her mouth shut at the appropriate time. She was beginning to annoy me with her outbursts. The Much and Alan adulation is good to watch - wonder how that one will work out.

All in all series 3 is shaping up well although, I have to say again, I really miss Marian as the whole thing has lost something with her dying.

Thanks for reading this and thanks for your excellent site - it's most informative and enjoyable.

ps: I like the new costume design and the photography is great (although that could have something with our swish new TV). It's good that CGI isn't overused.

"miss the character of Marian"Me to. Lucy was outstanding, combining great acting with a natural on screen charisma. the Legend of Robin Hood needs charisma. At present, only RA is providing it. (I have hopes for Lara / Isabella).

"they've made Robin appear rather shallow"I think, as has been said, Robin Hood gets sidetracked too much. Jonas did better in Series 1.

"Isabella character just seems to have replaced Marian"Both Isabella and Kate are using elements of Marian's character and situation. (The single parent, the living in the Castle, etc., etc.) Whilst I understand the need to keep the female lead near the Castle (Marian's traditional role as a spy through the decades), I hope isabella developes more than that.

"sometimes far fetched"Yes, but like you, I still sit and cheer at the humour of it all. And a big YES from me that the Crusade bit has (for the moment at least), taken a back seat. Robin of Sherwood was the far better series perhaps for that reason alone.

Tuck:I agree david harwood is good. But, for me, he's still too nice and even tempered. I want a cantankerous Tuck, with a shorter temper. This one is as cool as David Carradine in "Kung Fu".

Costumes:They are good aren't they. I was worried the show would lose it's youthful, improvised look. (As in Lucy's high street mixes!). But I'm liking seeing a bit more green around. (I can live without the feather in the cap!)

"I'll try to keep it short otherwise I'll clog up this site".No, everyone around here likes reading through the opinions of others. It's a nice community.

Something I'm going to put into my own blog entry on this episode later today: I see the similarities with Marian, but I think there's a huge difference, and it gets into why they wrote Marian out of the show.

They wanted someone in the castle, and they wanted a rather duplicitous woman. They made Marian all of that in the first and second series. The problem was, heroines shouldn't be duplicitous; if they are, they lose a lot of their heroism. I'm no fan of Guy of Gisbourne as a man, but even I was somewhat troubled by Marian's treatment of him, and I know a lot of other people were as well. On top of that, because she was the Heroine, a big aspect of her character began to be attacks on her virtue, which got to be tiresome and to take up more space than it warranted.

Well, I don't care one way or another about Isabella's virtue, and I don't think I'm supposed to--I figure she can take care of her own self on that point, and isn't constrained by traditional ideas of the heroic maiden the way Marian was. And, because she's new, and because she isn't Marian, and as such her first loyalty isn't defined by Robin and out-of-show history, we can enjoy watching her machinations for what they are, and she can keep us guessing about her motives, while Marian's were always on her sleeve.

Now, there should have been room for both types of female characters, the Virtuous Maiden Heroine and the not-so-virtuous, not-so-maidenly, not-so heroic woman as well. But the writers messed up at the start when they tried have one character--Marian--take on all those aspects of womanhood at once. Now they're trying to backtrack. I can see why people are angry about how they decided to get themselves out of their fix, but I've pretty much decided to let bygones be bygones (after all, it's not like I can change anything) and enjoy Isabella for who she is.

the character of isabella reflects her inate ability to survive in those times , the female version of her brother . Marian was allowed a freedom due to the indulgence of everyone around her . In the last series she started to explore and exploit her strengths . I liked the Guy /Marian relationship but never really viewed her relationship with Robin as reflecting anything more than a deep friendship .But again we find the writers have failed ,the death of Marian was hailed as "the most momentous event " that could affect Robin . Really , Gisbourne has lost the will to live , going through the motions of his previous ambitions .Whereas Robin has become what was hinted at by Marian in the first series as a womaniser .The sherrif is not dead as he was moving his hand as he was carted away .i agree with anonymous Marian should re-enter now older and wiser . Heroines can be duplicious if the situation requires it .Just as heroes can . But what they cannot be is static What the Gisbourne sister has brought is a sense of realism.

Hi dcwash,You do make an excellent point about Marian's duality: On the one hand her "Maid" Marian virtues and innocence, yet on the other her manipulation of Gisborne. But, whilst I've said many times I thought the whole supposed "love triangle" didn't work and ended up throwing everything off the rails, I would still defend Maid Marian's actions in the same way I would defend any spy working under cover for "the cause".

In the 1950's, TV show, both Marian's did that, and it has seemed to be her role ever since. However, I do understand what you mean, and certainly in this day and age, when the writers are trying to balance a greater degree of sexuality with what is after all "entertainment for all the family", it does get more complicated.

When you say "the writers messed up at the start when they tried to have one character--Marian--take on all those aspects of womanhood at once" I think you pin point the problem exactly. I hope everyone visits your blog and reads further.

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Hi Kitty,I have to confess that the assessment of Robin and Marian being "deep friends" is one I'm accepting.

Just as I was always critical that the Guy / Marian "relationship" was more abusive than love, I do now look back and acknowledge the on screen "sparks" between Robin and Marian were perhaps missing.

Lucy did such a great job that she maybe covered for that.

RE the Sheriff being "undead"..... It could have been muscular spasms? Corpses do strange things. (But let's not go there!)

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Everybody:It certainly seems like Isabella has proved a hit with viewers.

I absolutely LOVED this episode. Last week's was great, but this one was a knock it out of the park home run as far as I'm concerned. The character of Isabella fascinates me, and Toby Stephens is proving to be EVERYTHING I'd hoped for in a Prince John. That man is freaking amazing. And this was definitely Richard Armitage's best turn to date as Guy this season...very, very strong show.

I honestly think that the show is now going to go from Strength to strength so many brilliant characters have now come into it.

Much as I am one for the Robin/Marian legend and still feel her death was completely unneccessary. I am beginning to see that since the coming of the character of Isabella how Jonas/Robin has come alive compared to Jonas/ Lucy partnership. You hit the nail on the head Robin when you said the spark was missing between them, the chemistery is there for all to see with Lara/Jonas I feel he has really grown up in the final series he actually seems to be enjoying himself the gang seem to respect him more and look to him for inspiration with conviction ( although I still feel that Allen needs a story) and Tuck seems just a wee bit too good to be true

I can't wait for next week. Someone metioned that Guy was mourning Marian well of course he would after all he did kill her! I also think that quite possibly Robin could be in denial I still don't think we have seeen the last of that ring or that Marian won't come back in Robin's memory I felt it was significant that he hold Isabella how much he hated her brother I still feel it will come full circle ( but of course I AM NOT THE WRITERS!!)

With regard to the "spark" issue between Robin and Marian - In my opinion, neither Guy nor Robin ever kissed Marian very passionately. (The one time that Guy did, it was Marian who initiated the kiss.) I always thought this was because Marian was unmarried, and therefore 'innocent'. A man would therefore not be have treated her the same as Isabella, who was married and had some experience with men. Just my thoughts...

I thought Robin and Marian had the relationship of an older married couple. They knew each other their whole lives, faults/strengths, etc. so the passion was a little gentler. And I think the writers needed her innocence to contrast with Robin's toughness after coming back from a war.

I don't like that Guy is the only one talking about Marian, since he's the one that killed her and I agree with Robin Hood that their relationship was somewhat abusive (and so ended that way).

It was also interesting that Guy was blaming the Sheriff for Marian dieing.

I agree there is some good chemistry with Robin and Isabella as with Kate and Allan. I don't see any with Kate and Much. I saw an interview with Sam Troughton (sp?)who said he thought Much was not interested in boyfriend/girlfiend relationships and he played him that way. It would suprize me if Much ended up with Kate. But frankly so much the writers do on this show suprizes me (and usually not in a good way e.g. killing Marian.

As for the acting, the observations that Jonas does a better job reacting off others was a good one. I hadn't thought of it myself, but when you pointed it out, it made sense to me. I hope he has a successful career.

I would like to see more Allan/Much and Robin too. The characters sometimes seem to get lost in the action scenes, especially in this season.

I loved Prince John, mainly since he was so vile. Toby (?) played him really well.

I love coming to this site where others spend as much time thinking about this series as I do. It's great fun for me. Thanks!Prufrock

I always felt that Marian was THE solid force in Robin's life. He could always count on her regardless of the situation, and she him for that matter. I believe he only ever really trusted her completely out of everyone. Once that was removed Robin has become a bit of a house of cards. I don't believe he's got his footing and I'm not sure he will. Maybe that's the whole point. This thing with Isabella has a bit of passion there and he seems to be reaching out (in the handfull of scenes they've done together) in some physical way. I'm afraid it's going to come back to bite him in the end. How can it not!

As far as the whole "lack of passion" with Marian, I have to disagree. Lest we forget how he use to look at her!!! I too have been annoyed that only Gisbourne seems to haunted by her memory so I'm hoping that there are some internal conflicts for Robin to come up. She was and is his true love. I think we can all agree on that.

I'm very interested to see where this all goes in the episodes to come. This is most fascinating and I'm loving everyone's comments.

How I agree with anonymous above I have always said that we haven't seen the last of that ring. Robin obviously buried it for reasons that I hope will become clear at the end of the show.

As I see it he is in denial at the moment but hopefully events will come about and he will end up getting his fingers burnt. As I have already said It is bound to all end in tears between him and Isabella.

Thanks sjl, and thanks Evielyn,I hope you are both right, and that some reference to Marian comes back into Robin Hood's role.

Although everyone keeps saying he hasn't mentioned Marian, wasn't her death a part of why he wanted to renounce the whole "Leader of the Outlaws" role? Wasn't that one of the things Tuck helped him overcome? And look at from a different perspective?

One can say he "buried" the ring. But those of you who know Sherwood Forest might say the Forest is keeping it safe.

I struggle with R .A comments when he implied by killing Marian , the writers were being different and in essence risque . Personally ,i think they were just being utterly lazy and that laziness continues . i would like to see charcters developed not the idea hinted at , people touch on the waste of Allan , much and to a lesser extent Little John . Surely they should be in the foreground now , this programme has been spectacularly lucky in the Casting and it is the actors coupled with the recent scripts that are making in watchable not the promise of the beaten driven Robin . But i totally agree with R.H . Jonas is good as a foil but not as centre stage .Returning to Marian and Robin he had left her for several years , they had been betrothed , she was unmarried but responded quite clearly to Gisbourne in his undressed state . That scene reflected a young woman growing up . i am surprised after this point there was not any passion between Robin and Marian .

I think Joe Armstrong is being utterly wasted at this point. He could have had a very strong character-arc concerning his redemption into the gang, and the only thing he's doing is hanging out in the background.

This episode was a perfect example. Let's say you need someone to impersonate a victim of disease. Who are you going to choose? The con-artist who has done this sort of thing in the past ("Turk Flu") or the injured woman who was near-death not two hours ago?

Come on writers, that plot CLEARLY belonged to Allan, but you gave it to Kate because you're still trying to justify her existence on this show.

And my money is still on Robin/Kate, for reasons too numerous to post here.

Hi Kitty,Neither RA's comments, nor any of the reasons given by either Tiger, the BBC, nor Lucy's camp, ever seemed to have clarity regarding Marian's murder.

Perhaps one day, when everyone's moved on, some chat show appearance somewhere might tell all.

Hi anonymous,Agreed. We need to see Joe Armstrong back in the spotlight. Remember all those cheeky one-liners he directed at Gisborne? And his justifiable concerns at how Robin stands to gain from Richard's return, whilst he'll still only be a commoner or maybe even still an outlaw?

This Allan A Dale has been a more significant role than in other adaptations of the legend, and Joe Armstrong carried it off wonderfully.

"I struggle with R .A comments when he implied by killing Marian , the writers were being different and in essence risque."

Actually, I saw an interview with RA in which he seemed quite bitter about what the writers decided to do to Marian. The (female) talk-show host said something along the lines of "they killed Marian - it's beyond me!" RA replied with: "it's beyond me too."

On the DVD commentary for the S2 finale, he's also rather apologetic to the audience when the Big Scene comes.

As for Joe Armstrong, he's already lined up for what appears to be a rather large part in period-drama called "Breaking the Mould" with Dominic West.

The show's in kind of a tricky position this series with regards to Joe Armstrong and Allan a Dale. It's hard for show with ensembles like this one to hit the kind of balance that gives all the characters and actors the proper opportunities for development, especially once one of the actors starts getting break-out attention. A lot of shows kind of rotate who gets the more prominent story lines, whether that's on a series-long basis or whether it switches from episode to episode, and a lot of fans don't like it when their favorite characters rotate back out of the spot light. But, while I'd love to watch a spin-off show called something like "The Misadventures of Allan a Dale," when it comes down to it, this particular show is still "Robin Hood" and it would be hard for them to give Allan big story lines for the second series in a row without messing up that balance.